Sudan: Further information: Detained religious leader denied family visits: Matar Younis Ali Hussein
Matar Younis Ali Hussein, a visually impaired religious teacher, has been transferred from Kober Prison to a detention centre run by the State Security Prosecution office of Crimes Against the State. The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) arrested him on 1 April and since then he has been denied access to his family and a lawyer. Matar Younis has been a vocal critic of the government’s policy in Darfur. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment while in detention.
Further Information on UA: 70/18 Index: AFR 54/8568/2018 Sudan Date: 12 June 2018
URGENT ACTION
DETAINED RELIGIOUS LEADER DENIED FAMILY VISITS
Matar Younis Ali Hussein, a visually impaired religious teacher, has been transferred
from Kober Prison to a detention centre run by the State Security Prosecution office of
Crimes Against the State. The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services
(NISS) arrested him on 1 April and since then he has been denied access to his family
and a lawyer. Matar Younis has been a vocal critic of the government’s policy in Darfur.
He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment while in detention.
Amnesty International has received information that at the end of May, Matar Younis Ali Hussein, was transferred
from Kober Prison to a detention centre run by the State Security Prosecution Office of Crimes Against the State.
Matar Younis is a 48-year-old, visually impaired religious teacher at the Mosque of Zalingei and a father of eight
children. The NISS arrested him on 1 April in Zalengi city, Central Darfur; he was taken to Khartoum few days later
where he was detained until his transfer. He has not been allowed access to a lawyer or family visits since his
arrest. He has not been charged with any crime.
Matar Younis has been a vocal critic of the government’s policy in Darfur and has called for the protection of
displaced people. In February 2018, Matar Younis Ali Hussein criticized the government policy of recruiting over
4,000 people and distributing weapons and vehicles. He considers the mobilization and allocation of firearms in
contradiction with the aim of peace claimed by the government. Also, he describes the peace process in Darfur as
false peace.
Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:
Calling on the Sudanese authorities to release Matar Younis Ali Hussein immediately and unconditionally as he
is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression;
Calling on them to ensure that, pending his release, Matar Younis Ali Hussein is granted regular access to his
family and a lawyer of his choice;
Urging them to ensure that, pending his release, he is not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in
detention;
Calling on them to release all detainees from Darfur who are being held solely as a result of the peaceful
exercise of their human rights.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 24 JULY 2018 TO:
President
HE Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Office of the President
People’s Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister for Justice
Mohamed Ahmed Salim
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 302
Al Nil Avenue
Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
:
And copies to
Minister for Interior
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid
Ministry of Interior
PO Box 873
Khartoum, Sudan
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 70/18. Further information:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr54/8232/2018/en/
URGENT ACTION
DETAINED RELIGIOUS LEADER DENIED FAMILY VISITS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As of today, according to the UN, the overall security situation in Darfur is still volatile due to the growing number of pro-
government and other armed groups in the region in addition to the lack of tangible progress in the peace process to address
the causes and consequences of the conflict. There are widespread incidents of killings against internally displaced persons
(IDPs), and other civilians, abduction, looting, rape and arbitrary arrests.
Despite this credible information on the human rights situation, the government of Sudan continues to repeat its claims that the
security situation in Darfur has improved and is “stable”. From November 2017 to March 2018, large displacement was caused
by the internal fighting within the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdel Wahid (SLA-AW) in East Jebel Marra and between SLA-AW and
Government of Sudan forces.
Torture and other forms of ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest and detention, remain pervasive in Darfur. It is a repressive measure
regularly used by the Sudanese authorities to silence and punish dissent and anti-government political activists, human rights
defenders, civil society activists and IDPs in Darfur. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are
heavily restricted in Darfur.
The NISS maintains broad powers of arrest and detention under the National Security Act 2010 (NSA), which allows suspects to
be detained for up to four-and-a-half months without judicial review. NISS officials often use these powers to arbitrarily arrest
and detain individuals, many of whom are then subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Under the same Act, NISS agents
are provided with protection from prosecution for any act committed in the course of their work, which has resulted in a
pervasive culture of abuse and impunity. The constitutional amendment to Article 151 (NSA) passed on 5 January 2015 which
expanded the mandate of the NISS has exacerbated the situation. The amendment transformed the NISS from an intelligence
agency focused on information gathering, analysis and advice, to a fully-fledged security agency with a broad mandate to
exercise a mix of functions usually carried out by the armed forces or law enforcement agencies. It gave the NISS unlimited
discretion to decide what constitutes a political, economic or social threat and how to respond to such threats. Neither the NSA
nor the revised Article 151 explicitly or implicitly require the NISS to abide by relevant international, regional and domestic law in
the operation of its duties.
Name: Matar Younis Ali Hussein
Gender m/f: m
Further information on UA: 70/18 Index: AFR 54/8568/2018 Issue Date: 12 June 2018